Tech

YouTube accuses T-Mobile of reducing video quality for all its customers (Updated)

Update: Thursday, 1:15 p.m. ET: A T-Mobile spokesperson reiterated to Mashable that customers can turn Binge On on and off via their T-Mobile account either through the web of the T-Mobile app. The company also reminds customers that they're sending two rounds of notifications — text and email — regarding Binge On.

The company rep provided the following statement on throttling video: "Binge On has always included video optimization for mobile devices on ALL video, so our customers can watch up to 3x longer. This is in addition to being able to stream from Netflix, HBO, Hulu and other video providers without using any high-speed data."

The original story follows below.

YouTube claims T-Mobile's new "Binge On" program is degrading video quality for viewers, even though it's not part of the program, according to The Wall Street Journal.

T-Mobile users can turn "Binge On" on and off. Switching it to off will allow higher-quality video streams at up to 4K, but the data used to stream the extra resolution will count against their data allotment. YouTube's beef with T-Mobile is that its videos are automatically downgraded to 480p without users' consent, while still counting toward users' data plans.

"Reducing data charges can be good for users, but it doesn’t justify throttling all video services, especially without explicit user consent,” a YouTube spokesman told the WSJ.

Though T-Mobile hasn't responded directly to YouTube's throttling accusations, the Internet Association, an advocacy group whose job is to protect Internet freedom and preserve net neutrality, claims Binge On "appears to involve throttling of all video traffic, across all data plans, regardless of network congestion."

During a Q&A after the Binge On announcement, T-Mobile USA CEO John Legere said the network wants YouTube to be a part of Binge On, but "at this moment they didn't meet the technical requirements and/or desire to."

According to the WSJ, YouTube's exclusion (for the moment) appears to be software-related. "The software that detects streaming video to exclude it from data limits can’t always identify incoming YouTube videos. T-Mobile has said the companies have talked but may need more collaboration to work out the problem," the article says.

The Federal Communications Commission recently sent letters to T-Mobile, AT&T and Comcast in the interest of learning more about how their networks are essentially whitelisting certain content providers, in order to provide their users with free data.

In its letter to T-Mobile, Roger C. Sherman, the FCC's Chief of Wireless Telecommunications Bureau wrote:

As you may be aware, concerns have been expressed about the Binge On program. For example, some have argued that the technical requirements of the Binge On program may harm innovation by "making certain video apps more attractive than others." Others have asserted that the reduction of video quality "has harmed some users." On the other hand, T-Mobile argues that Binge On "is not a network neutrality problem."

We want to ensure that we have all the facts to understand how this service relates to the Commission's goal of maintaining a free and open Internet while incentivizing investment and innovation from all sources.

The 11 best iPhone utilities of all time

12. Google Authenticator

For regular people, SMS does a decent job of two-factor authentication — where, in addition to a password, you receive a secret code via text message that lets you securely log into a service. But Google Authenticator levels-up the idea in a few key ways: First, it doesn't require connectivity, so you can use it on a plane, in the middle of the desert or dead center of a Faraday cage. The app also provides the exact kind of airtight security you get with one of those easy-to-misplace key fobs, making it suitable for corporate use. Finally, if you don't have unlimited texting, your phone bill will thank you.

11. Hidden Apps

For many iPhone users, the built-in apps — like Tips, Stocks and Compass — are one of the bigger annoyances of iOS. They take up precious home screen real estate and signify the often rigid restrictions Apple enforces on its users. HiddenApps, which made a brief appearance in the App Store in 2013, allowed you to hide those stock apps. Though their app managed to make it through its initial review process, Apple unsurprisingly pulled it soon after launch. While the process of actually hiding apps was a bit wonky and the app short-lived, it offered a very useful look into the type of customization that usually requires a full-on jailbreak.

10. iHandy Level

iOS has a level, but it’s hidden under Compass, and is not the old-school bubble level most craftspeople appreciate. That’s why we love the free iHandy. It has virtual woodgrain, and what looks like a classic glass, liquid and bubble level on the screen. Of course, there’s still a digital readout to guide you to a perfectly flat surface, but the look and feel of iHandy is what gives it the human touch.

Image: iHandy

9. Handy Light

Having a flashlight app in your iPhone is pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that Apple eventually built the flashlight technology into iOS. Of course, Handy Light was never actually about illuminating your world. When Handy Light arrived in 2010, the app literally had a hidden agenda: to add free Internet tethering to the iPhone, a feature the device didn't officially support at the time.

Apple approved the flashlight function, but not the tethering, and Handy Light was pulled from the App Store… on the day of its release. (Handy Light had good reason to worry — in 2008 Apple had pulled an app called NetShare, which also enabled free tethering.) Ever since, Apple has been much more careful about what does and doesn’t get into its walled garden and controlling how developers use the iOS programming hooks provided to them.

8. IFTTT

IFTTT began with a simple formula: if this, then that. Before anyone had ever heard of the Internet of Things, the company was helping users automate their online lives with simple recipes — if I post a photo to Instagram, then save the image to my Dropbox account, for instance. Over time, the recipes grew more complex and connected to more and more services. Today, the company has broken IFTTT’s automation superpowers into a series of separate apps but it was IFTTT that taught us an “if” can be more powerful than you think.

Image: IFTTT

7. Google

Strictly speaking, you don’t need to have Google’s iPhone app since Safari has Google baked into the browser. But you’ll want the standalone Google app for how much more it offers. Sure you can use the app to search hands-free, flip a coin and avoid lines at your favorite restaurants, but its neatest trick is Google Now. When enabled, Google Now can provide assistance — like letting you know when to leave to reach your next appointment on time, based on the current traffic conditions — before you even think to ask.

Image: Google

6. Bump

Remember Bump, the app that was once hailed as a business-card killer? It was among the first apps that allowed users to transfer contact information to someone else by touching (or bumping) two devices together. The app used the iPhone’s built-in sensors, accelerometer and IP address to make the transfer (kinda) seamless.

In later updates, it rolled out the ability to share photos and files in the same way — and long before Airdrop arrived on iOS. It also had a partnership with PayPal to transfer funds in a similar way. While Bump had a respectable five-year run, it never broke out of its bubble of dedicated power users. The app was discontinued in 2014 after Google acquired it.

Image: Bump

5. 1Password

Released in 2008 not long after the App Store made its debut, 1Password started out as a companion to the Mac app of the same name. The app makes it easy to access all of your passwords securely from your iPhone. With iOS 8, Apple introduced app extensions and 1Password made it even easier way to login to websites, even from Safari. More than just a password manager, 1Password can store credit-card information, software licenses, frequent-flier numbers and more. Other password managers are available, but 1Password remains the best in class.

Image: AgileBits

4. WordLens

Augmented reality is a horrible term. It sounds so peculiar, so removed from everyday experience, that it actually has the effect of deadening any excitement about the concept before it can begin. But for a grade-A example of how amazing augmented reality can be, don't look any further than Word Lens. Launch the app, hold your iPhone in front of a sign in a foreign language, and watch the text on the sign instantaneously transmogrify into something comprehensible right before your eyes. There was no questioning the utility and simplicity of the app, and its brilliant parlor trick caught the attention of Google, who acquired the company and gave it a good home as a marquee feature in Google Translate.

Image: WordLens

3. Dark Sky

Every iPhone comes with a pre-installed weather app. It's useful, but not precise in the way Dark Sky ($3.99) is, which uses the iPhone's GPS to pinpoint your exact location (not just a general zip code or city) and tell you if it'll rain or snow in the next hour — down to the minute. Typical scenario: You're having dinner out and Dark Sky hits you with a notification that it's going to rain in 30 minutes. Not a problem: Just grab the check now, and you might beat the downpour. Although a little pricey at $4, the app has quickly become a must-have for weather watchers.

Image: Jackadam

2. Safari

Safari is arguably the most influential app ever. Before the iPhone, browsing the web on a smartphone was a compromised experience, to put it mildly... Steve Jobs dismissively called it the “baby Internet.” Mobile Safari brought a proper HTML browser to a phone, finally unleashing the full power of the web (more or less) to a new class of devices. There were still compromises — the browser famously shunned Adobe Flash and didn’t work with extensions for a long time — but the experience was so much better than the so-called “mobile web” that it didn't matter.

But Safari’s legacy has another side to it: Although there are now other browsers for the iPhone, Apple requires them to use Safari’s engine, so there’s no way they’ll be faster. If you want to access the web on an iPhone, it’s really the only game in town.

Image: Apple

1. Find My iPhone

We’re all (unfortunately) familiar with that sinking feeling when you can’t find your phone. An essential first line of defense for the forgetful and unlucky, Find My iPhone has helped recover countless devices — whether dropped, stolen or in your pocket the whole time.

Launched in 2010, Apple’s iPhone-locating app was among the first apps that really enabled you to track the location of your device in real-time. The app not only shows you a detailed map with the device's last location clearly marked, but lets you trigger an alarm for extra help in finding it as well as remotely wipe the device if those tools fail.

It’s the app you never want to have to use but one we would all be much worse off without.

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